Belfast Craic: A Poem

With March being designated as Irish American Heritage month and St. Patrick’s Day hastily approaching, I wanted to share this poem by my good friend and fellow Irishman Greg McVicker from Belfast. Apart from talking fast (I know this as many people keep telling me here to talk more slowly!), us Irish have a slew of slang words, which when mixed with our Native language and Regional expressions, have left more than one American person scratching their heads.

By all means, try your hand at these expressions when having a drink this 17th, but I would urge you to practice them beforehand without the aid of alcohol! You could also invite an Irish person to join you on the big day (for the right offer, I may very well be available meself), that way you would have a bona fide interpreter, should you bump into somebody celebrating from the “old sod.” I must confess, that my favourite phrase here is a “face like a busted sausage” – pure class!

To set the scene for Greg’s humourous poem, Craic means news, gossip, fun, entertainment, and enjoyable conversation. This whole poem is a lesson in Irish slang. Enjoy!